


Improper Translation

by FallenSoFar



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Awkward Kara Danvers, Couch Cuddles, F/F, Indignant!Alex, Kryptonian Culture & Customs, Mildly Dubious Consent, if you think too hard, that i made up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-20
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-19 01:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20323153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FallenSoFar/pseuds/FallenSoFar
Summary: It's really not Kara's fault: Kryptonese just doesn't translate well in a Roman alphabet...





	Improper Translation

‘Your house pet is not very well behaved.’

Kara receives the text while she’s waiting in line to pick up Miss Grant’s lunch. It’s from an unknown number, but written in the closest approximation to Kryptonese that the English alphabet can get. It's not very close at all, and Kara huffs, silently mouthing the syllables.

‘I don’t have a pet.’ Kara taps out the reply quickly, in English, and adds the number to her contacts under  _ Aunt Astra _ . This would make it the fifth phone her Aunt has gone through in the space of two weeks, which beats Kara’s record by a long shot. A record which comes out of Kara’s paycheck since Astra has yet to agree to letting the DEO know they’re speaking. 

‘If this pet is not yours, I may keep it?’ She can't quite remember her building’s policy, and is about to say it isn’t a good idea, but this is the first thing Astra has shown a true interest in outside food, or training, or talking about Krypton. 

‘As long as it doesn't belong to anyone, sure. Make sure you check for a collar and tags, or a microchip before getting too attached.’ Kara smiles at her phone, thinking maybe a kitten might be just what her aunt needs. Something to look after.

‘How barbaric! I shall check these things, niece. Thank you.’

Briefly, she wonders how a stray has managed to make its way high enough to reach her apartment, but then her order is called and she has to put the phone in her pocket and rush back to the office. 

After that, there’s an emergency in the photography department, a small fire in a warehouse downtown, and Winn talking in her ear about the latest sci-fi movie he wants to see. So the conversation slips her mind entirely until she opens her front door that evening to find Astra lounging in the corner of her couch, reading. 

It’s not unusual, the reading. 

Except...

Except the arm holding ‘The Day of the Triffids’ is wrapped firmly around the waist of Kara’s sister. The fingers of Astra’s free hand brush idly against Alex’s collarbone, skirting the edge of what looks like a developing bruise on her neck. Alex herself looks dead to the world, sprawled haphazardly across Astra’s lap - their legs tangled together and her head tipped back lightly against Astra’s shoulder as she dozes.

Kara’s bag hits the floor with a thump and her aunt looks up mildly, smiling, while Alex jolts awake and after a brief moment of confusion immediately attempts to struggle out of Astra’s grip.

‘Kara, finally! Will you please tell your crazy–’ The rest of the sentence is lost in a yelp as Astra tugs her firmly back to her previous position, hand now firmly resting across Alex’s sternum and chin resting on her crown.

‘Hello, little one.’

‘Aunt Astra, A-Alex?’ Kara’s voice squeaks as Alex levels a pointed glare at her from her perch on Astra’s lap. 

Having abandoned her book, Astra starts plucking idly at the loose threads unfurling from the torn collar of Alex’s favourite sweater. Eyes drawn to the movement, Kara’s stomach drops to her toes in mortified realisation, the texts from earlier that day replaying in her head. 

_ Oh _ , Kara thinks,  _ not pet _ . That was definitely not the word pet. 

‘Uh, Aunt Astra, I think maybe there might have been.. No there there was, there definitely was a tiny misunderstanding earlier.’ 

‘Alexandra Dan-vers was unclaimed by any of the great houses of Krypton, correct?’

‘Well, yes, but…’ there were no great houses of Krypton remaining, ‘We don’t do that here.’ Astra looks confused, and maybe a little abashed, but she quickly shrugs it off.

‘Niece, you gave your blessing. It is already done, I’ve sworn her to the House of Ze, and really you should have claimed her long ago if you really wanted to keep her by your side.’ Astra loosens her hold so she can lean forward slightly to make her point and Alex doesn’t shift, though she does join Kara in making a face at the proclamation.

Watching them, Kara thinks back to how Alex had been dozing when she first walked in, boneless and relaxed, and tries to remember the last time she has seen her sister so… content. And Kara looks at Astra’s left hand as her aunt attempts to entwine her fingers with Alex’s uncooperative ones; knows how much control she must be exerting to not accidentally break or crush those fine bones. She sees how gentle Astra is being without giving any ground, and how Alex is already relaxing back into the cuddle even if her face is set stubbornly into a scowl.

‘Okay,’ she says, ‘okay. I’m just going to go stay at Alex’s place for a bit. I’m sure you can work this out between yourselves.’ 

Alex looks like she wants to murder her, but Kara thinks it will all work out ok in the end.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This ficlet came from a silly conversation I had with my longsuffering friend about a longer fic I'm working on (don't worry, no spoilers) and kept trying to grow. So along with taking waaaay too long to write it spawned three more serious fic ideas... and I still haven't gotten past the first part of the original thing I was working on. So yeah, hope you enjoy. It's back to struggling with action scenes for me.


End file.
